Wednesday, May 03, 2006

New Orleans Jazz Fest: Wish I Were There

More early reviews of the festival -- which I never attended despite going to college in Gainesville, Florida, which is relatively close. Sounds like a real blast, with Springsteen delivering a revamped "Johnny 99," "Open All Night" and "You Can Look, (But You Better Not Touch)" alongside the raucous folk tunes from his terrific new album. Dylan of course ignored the setting. But everyone else seemed to strive for a sense of occasion. Here's one of what must have been many highlights, per the Hollywood Reporter:

One of the most moving [moments]came from local legend Allen Toussaint, who, near the end of an elegant but cutting set with special guest Elvis Costello, began to recite the glories of New Orleans -- its music, neighborhoods, food, people -- as the crowd chanted "home, home, everybody come home."